Pregnancy News: Gaining Weight In Between Pregnancies Associated With Health Risks In Second Child

When mothers gain weight in between their pregnancies, their second child faces an increased risk of health problems, according to new research. Over 500,000 Swedish children born to mothers who had two consecutive pregnancies between January 1992 and December 2012 were studied.

The study, which was published in PLOS Medicine, revealed that risks for low Apgar score, neonatal seizures and meconium aspiration become greater when mothers gain weight in between pregnancies. Daily Mail reported that Apgar score is a quick method of assessing a newborn's health while meconium aspiration is when a very sticky substance gets into the lungs of a newborn.

Gaining Weight In Between Pregnancies Means Increased Risk

There was a 26 percent increased risk for a low Apgar score in second-born children of mothers who had an increased weight of 2 to less than 4 kg/m² in contrast to mothers whose weight was stable, according to the researchers. The risk went up to 33 percent for those born to mothers with 4 kg/m² or greater.

For neonatal seizures, the risk was greater by more than 40 percent for second-born children of mothers who gained weight by 2 to more than 4 kg/m². Meanwhile, meconium aspiration had a 78 percent increased risk to children born to mothers with an increased weight of 4 kg/m² or greater.

Study Limitations

There were limitations to the research on weight gain between pregnancies and health risks for second-born children, Science Daily reported. The potential effect of obstetric and neonatal interventions could not be considered in the study.

Additionally, the researchers did not have data on when the mothers gained weight or on weight gained during pregnancy. Still, it was noted that the results of the study have shown that preventing an increase of weight between pregnancies may lower the risk of asphyxia during birth and also improve the health of newborns.